Guide foot for brake beam



June 4, 1963 A. G. HAYDU 3,09

GUIDE FOOT FOR BRAKE BEAM Filed May 12, 1960 ANDREW G. HA U Patented June 4, 1963 3,692,215 GUIDE FOOT FOR BRAKE BEAM Andrew G. Haydn, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmerding, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 12, 1960, Ser. No. 23,713 Claims. (Cl. 188-2193) This invention relates to brake beam guide feet that serve to support brake beams within guide foot channels formed on the sides of railway car truck side frames and more specifically relates to improved guide foot construction of the type including a replaceable wear element.

It is well-known to provide guide feet on the ends of brake beams with wear liners but the prior constructions of wear liners are relatively complicated and expensive and require considerable effort and time to install and remove.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved guide foot construction in which a wear element of simple construction and low cost is designed to be carried in locked relation on a guide foot member while at the same time being easily installed and easily removed therefrom with no special tools.

According to this object, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a generally rectangular guide foot member secured to the end of a brake beam in any wellknown manner and having a circumferential groove transverse to the longitudinal axis of the brake beam, and an elongated C-shaped wear element of spring metal constructed to be easily mounted in and removed from said groove in the guide foot member and further characterized in that the thickness of the wear element is greater than the depth of said groove.

Several other improved guide foot arrangements, similar to the preferred embodiment described, are also disclosed having variations in the shape of the groove in the guide foot member and having modified wear elements.

In the accompmying drawings, FIG. 1 is a view, in perspective, showing a guide foot member of the preferred type suitably secured to one end of a fragmentally shown brake beam, the guide foot member being shown without the C-shaped wear element in order to illustrate the wear element receiving groove in the guide foot member.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, partly in outline, of the improved guide foot of the preferred type shown mounted between a pair of inclined guide foot flanges formed on the side frame of a railway car truck.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken through the preferred embodiment of the improved guide foot, showing the wear element mounted within the groove on the guide foot member.

FIG. 4 is a view, showing the C-shaped wear element, per se, of FIGS. 2 and 3, in its free form.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, showing a modified embodiment of the improved guide foot having the wear member fixedly secured to the guide foot member.

FIG. 6 is a fragmental perspective view, showing a modified guide foot member of the type having a rectangular groove in its upper and lower faces respectively, only the groove in the upper face being shown.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, showing another modified embodiment of the improved guide foot with further variations in the structure and relation of the components thereof.

Descriplion Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 to 4, a preferred form of the improved guide foot embodying the invention is shown. In this embodiment, a guide foot member 1 of a brake beam is secured in well-known manner (not shown) to the end of a brake beam 2. A brake head 3, to which a brake shoe 4 is attached in customary manner, is suitably attached or formed integral with the guide foot member.

Guide foot member 1 has formed therein a circumferential groove 5 transverse to the longitudinal axis of brake beam 2 for receiving a separately formed wear element 6 therein. In FIG. 1 the guide foot member 1 is shown with the wear element 6 removed.

Wear element 6 is constructed to be carried in locked relation within groove 5 of member 1 and, as shown in FIG. 4, is an elongated 'C-shaped member formed of flexible resilient material such as spring metal. Wear element 6 is so formed as to have a pair of prongs curved at their opposed free ends and integrally connected through a rounded bight portion of a radius larger than that of the free ends, as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, the curved ends of the prongs of the wear element are biased toward each other by the tension in the spring metal, so that installation of the wear element in the groove of the guide foot member requires the prongs to be forced apart at their free ends.

The wear element 6 is slightly smaller in width than the groove 5 in member 1 and is slightly longer than the groove 5 so that when wear element 6 is mounted on the guide foot member within groove 5, by spreading the free ends of the prongs and sliding the wear element transversely of the guide foot member into groove 5, the wear element will be positively locked against shifting longitudinally of the guide foot member, that is, laterally in the groove, and the free ends of the prongs of the wear element will lock around the edge of the guide foot member to prevent shifting of the wear element laterally of the guide foot member 1. Also, the thickness of the spring metal from which the wear element is constructed is greater than the depth of groove 5 so that with the wear element mounted in groove 5, the outer surface of the wear element will extend beyond the peripheral surfaces of guide foot member 1, thus forming a bearing element for close fitting contact with the walls of a pair of inclined guide foot flanges 7 formed on a car truck side frame 8, when the improved guide foot is operatively disposed vvithin a channel 9 formed between the inclined flanges 7, as shown in FIG. 2 in the drawing.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the wear element 6 is thus locked against shifting transversely of the guide foot member by the opposed curved ends of the prongs and also against longitudinal or endwise movement on the guide foot member by being interlocked bodily in the groove 5 of the guide foot member. The tension placed on the prongs of the wear element is suffioient to maintain the wear element tightly in place without chattering.

The radius of the bight or rounded juncture of the prongs is such that a clearance is provided between the wear element and the edge of the guide foot member which enables a tool, such as a screw driver or the like, to be inserted therebetween to pry the wear element away from the guide foot member incident to removal therefrom.

It will be noted that, in FIG. 1, guide foot member 1 is shown secured to the brake beam 2 at an angle to the horizontal axis of the brake beam, the angle corresponding to the angle of the inclined flanges 7 shown in FIG. 2, to permit the brake beam 2 to always move toward and away from the wheels of a car truck in a horizontal position yet in a plane that is inclined to the horizontal axis of the side frame 8 on a radial or diametral line through the center of the wheel. The guide foot channel 9 is so inclined that the brake beam 2 moves toward the upper end of channel 9 in moving toward a brake applying position and conversely toward the lower end of the channel in a brake releasing direction. A suitable stop (not shown) at the lower end of the channel limits the movement of the guide foot on the brake beam in a brake releasing direction. 7

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a modified embodiment of a guide foot wherein a guide foot member 10 has a pair of generally rectangular grooves 11, one formed in the upper and the other formed in the lower face thereof, respectively. A pair of wear elements 12,-which are slightly smaller in Width than the grooves 11, are so formed that a flat central portion of eachelement fits into a corresponding one of the grooves, and the two elements are secured as by a rivet 13 passing through a transverse bore '14 through the guide foot member 1% and through registering or alignedholes in the wear elements 12'. The wear elements 12 are each constructed so as to be complementary to the upper and lower faces of the guide foot member, respectively, and have rounded 'end portions that extend over and closely fit the side edges of the guide foot member, the rounded ends of the elements serving side frame. If desired, the flat central portions of the wear elements 12 may be bowed slightly outwardly so that, when secured by the rivet 13, the bowed portions of the wear elements 12 are pressed and held inwardly under tension, thereby to provide tensioned clamping action at the rounded end portions of the wear elements for the elimination of chattering.

FIG. 7 shows another modified embodiment of a guide foot wherein a guide foot member 15 is formed with a rectangular recess or groove 16, similar to'grooves 11 in the guide. foot member 10, in its upper face and lower face, respectively. A wear element 17, of elongated C- shape formed of flexible resilient material such as spring metal, is shaped to surround the guide foot member 15 and is split at one side thereof to provide two opposed clamping ends that extend inwardly into one of the grooves 16, shown as the upper groove, when the wear element 17 is mounted on the guide'.foot member 15; The portion of the wear element 17 opposite. the opposed ends thereof is indented so as to project inwardly and seat in the groove 16 at the lower face of the guide foot member. Wear element ;17 is'installed simply by spreading the ends thereof and sliding the wear element axially over the end of the guide foot'member until the portions of the wear element lock in place in their respective \grooves.

It will thus be seen that several embodiments of wear elements have been disclosed, all of simple construction adapted to be readily installed on and removed, by simple tools, from the guide foot member, and being .locked in position on the guide foot member by spring tension.

Having now described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

a 1. A guide foot for a railway car truck brakebeam comprising a longitudinally extending guide foot member substantially rectangular in cross section attached at one end to the brake beam and having a free terminal end, a continuous circumferential groove formed in the surfaces thereof and extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the brake beam intermediate said attached and free terminal ends, and a generally C-shaped Wear elementof spring metal having a pair of flexible prongs joined by a bright portion at one end and resiliently biased toward each other at the opposite free ends thereof, the

free ends, of said prongs being inwardly curved so that when said Wear element is installed within said circumferential groove it is locked against displacement later- 4 ally of the guide foot member, by the cooperative relation of the curved ends of the prongs with the edge of said guide foot member under the tension developed in said Wear elemennsaid wear element having a thickness greater than the depth of said groove.

2. A guide foot for a railway car truck brake beam, as claimed in claim 1, further characterized in that said wear element is slightly smaller in width than said groove of said guide foot member and is slightly longer than said groove so that when said wear element is installed on said guide foot member, said wear element will be positively locked against shifting longitudinally of said guide foot member, that is, laterally in said groove, and

the free ends of the'pron gs of said wear element will lock around the edge of said guide foot member to prevent shifting of said wear element laterally of said guide foot member.

3. A guide foot for a railway car truck brake beam, as claimed in claim 1, further characterized in that the radius of the bight portion of the said wear element is such as to provide clearance between said wear element and the corresponding edge of said guide foot member when said Wear element is installed thereon to permit insertion of a tool for removing said wear element from said guide foot member.

4. A guide foot for a railway car truck brake beam comprising a longitudinal extending guide foot member substantially rectangular in cross section attached at one end to the brake beam and having a free terminal end, said member having a transverse groove formed in the upper and lower surfaces thereof and a bore extending therethrough, and a pair of wear elements smaller in width than said grooves and having substantially flat central portions and rounded end portions, the central portion of each wear element being fixedly secured within a respective groove by securing means extending through said bore in said guide foot member and the rounded end portions interlockingly gripping the edges of said guide foot member.

5. A guide foot for a railway car truck brake beam comprising a longitudinally extending guide foot member substantially rectangular in cross section attached at one end to the brake beam and having a free terminal end, a groove formed in each of the upper and lower faces thereof, and a corresponding elongated generally C-shaped wear element of spring metal, said wear element having two opposed free ends and a central portion thereof, opposite the opposed free ends thereof, indented toward the free ends, said wear element being so mounted on said guide foot member that the free ends of said wear element are disposed within one of said grooves and the indented central portion is disposed in the other of a said grooves, thereby locking said wear element against displacement laterally of the guide foot member by the cooperative relation of the opposed free ends and the indented portion of said Wear element with their corresponding grooves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A GUIDE FOOT FOR A RAILWAY CAR TRUCK BRAKE BEAM COMPRISING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING GUIDE FOOT MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR IN CROSS SECTION ATTACHED AT ONE END TO THE BRAKE BEAM AND HAVING A FREE TERMINAL END, A CONTINUOUS CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVE FORMED IN THE SURFACES THEREOF AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE BRAKE BEAM INTERMEDIATE SAID ATTACHED AND FREE TERMINAL ENDS, AND A GENERALLY C-SHAPED WEAR ELEMENT OF SPRING METAL HAVING A PAIR OF FLEXIBLE PRONGS JOINED BY A BRIGHT PORTION AT ONE END AND RESILIENTLY BIASED TOWARD EACH OTHER AT THE OPPOSITE FREE ENDS THEREOF, THE FREE ENDS OF SAID PRONGS BEING INWARDLY CURVED SO THAT WHEN SAID WEAR ELEMENT IS INSTALLED WITHIN SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVE IT IS LOCKED AGAINST DISPLACEMENT LATERALLY OF THE GUIDE FOOT MEMBER, BY THE COOPERATIVE RELATION OF THE CURVED ENDS OF THE PRONGS WITH THE EDGE OF SAID GUIDE FOOT MEMBER UNDER THE TENSION DEVELOPED IN SAID WEAR ELEMENT, SAID WEAR ELEMENT HAVING A THICKNESS GREATER THAN THE DEPTH OF SAID GROOVE. 